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Frankfurt Skyliners

Ok after six games it is obvious that Fraport Skyliner Jason Clark won´t be stealing Jared Jordan´s nickname Mr Pass anytime soon, but the ex Georgetown standout supplied the needed energy and scoring punch when the team needed it most helping carry the 2016 FIBA Europe Cup winner to it´s second Euro Cup win over Rytas Vilnius 70-61 as it´s record grew to 2-1. You have those pass first point guards and you have the scoring point guards and Clark definitely belongs to the latter. So far this season he has shown his moments in the playmaking category and been that scorer he was brought in for scoring 16 points against Turin and Vechta. There has been criticism that the club has a point guard problem, but does it really? The season is young and the team continues to find ways to win and in the second half it was the point guard duo of Clark and Bell Haynes that took control and were vital in the team escaping with a win. The American who made a name for himself in Belgium playing most of his professional career there and is on the way of doing the same thing in Germany now was in good spirits shortly before boarding a plane in Lithuania back to Germany the day after and was content about the victory “The key to the win was our defensive intensity. We brought it from the start and did a good job continuing to do it in the second half”, said Jason Clark.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Jason Clark after a game in Frankfurt. Clark led a second half charge in Vilnius helping the Skyliners to big 70-61 win as he steered 14 points

The Fraport Skyliners are currently 2-2 in three competitions and a few days ago witnessed an ugly 91-64 loss in Malaga, Spain in Euro Cup play. Is it time to worry and start erasing the band wagon feeling that I have had since pre season where the amazing, talented and experienced roster that head coach Gordon Herbert put together so early this season something that hadn´t been seen before in recent years? No it´s not time to worry yet. The leaves are still turning red, there have been some warm days that could suggest that summer is coming back and Halloween is still more than two weeks away. The 2018-2019 season is still in its baby faze and there is still so much basketball to be played. Canadian sniper Brady Heslip was all smiles after the exciting cup win against ratiopharm Ulm, but one could see in his eyes that he was positive, but at the time also hesistant not to get to euphoric after two tight wins against Torino and Ulm. “We are coming together fast now after two games. We are figuring out how to win games now”, added Brady Heslip. People were obviously excited about the two close wins and wanted to see more in Malaga 72 hours later, but instead were brought back to reality quickly with the crushing loss. Despite the blowout loss in Malaga, the club had shown good things before the loss and will surely return back to it in Vechta on Saturday. “I think that we have done well so far. Winning the close games has been good as we will have these type of games all season long. Our chemistry is good and every player knows its role. We are all competitive and want to win. When your on the same page and want to win then that will go a long way”, warned Jason Clark.

Last season Miles Schmidt-Scheuber´s favorite post game Skyliner interview partner was Mr Canada Phil Scrubb and this season it appears to be Jason Clark who gives great game insight!

15 minutes after the massive Eurocup win against big favorite Fiat Torino Fraport Skyliner Jason Clark most likely didn´t have any real specific play of the 45 minute battle in his head anymore, but moreover was still in awe after waiting in line for the traditional handshake. He congratulated big time players like two time NBA champion James Michael Mcadoo or ex NBA players Jamil Wilson and Tyshawn Taylor and probably didn´t even notice that another ex NBA player and Olympic Gold medalist Carlos Delfino of Argentina didn´t even make the trip because of an injury, but it was only normal that the American was only focused on one person, the legend Larry Brown. When he finally reached the ex NBA and NCAA champion Brown with Detroit and Kansas which must have felt like an eternity waiting in line that one could have wished to just bowl down the line of players with a huge bowling ball to finally get to the basketball legend. Clark wasn´t disappointed as the head coach uttered the flattering words which Clark will never forget with “That was a great game and you’re a hell of a player”. After a big win like that and getting possibly the most amazing compliment in his life, how does one return 72 hours later and react in the next huge game against ratiopharm Ulm in a do or die cup game where there is no return game, but that win or go home result. After the disappointing opening season loss in Ludwigsburg, the Fraport Skyliners returned and gave an impressive showing against highly favorite Fiat Torino winning 88-85. Frankfurt head coach Gordon Herbert didn´t have much time to let his players come down from that huge high over Brown and now they had to follow that up with a cup duel. The good news was that the Fraport Skyliners entered the game with a lot of momentum after the victory against Larry Brown while ratiopharm Ulm had lost their first Eurocup game against Crvena Zvezda 88-73. It is always a big battle when these two teams face off as who could forget the Frankfurt three OT win in 2012 in Ulm or the Ulm playoff series win in 2016. This cup dance was once again a vicious battle as it went to the wire and the Fraport Skyliners had numerous key figures executing like the duo of Heslip and Murphy who combined for 39 points and a rejuvenated Quantez Robertson who had been cold for three quarters and came alive down the stretch, but it was rookie Trae Bell-Haynes who gave the club incredible support in the last minute playing like a veteran and making key baskets to help Frankfurt reach the cup quarterfinals. After the big win a very content Jason Clark reflected on the 40 minute battle. “Both teams went at each other and it was a game of runs. We did a good job staying composed and staying solid on offense and defense. We had our ups and downs, but stuck together. Tez struggled, but came alive and Heslip and Bell-Haynes were huge. We did what we had to do as a team to get the win”, stressed Fraport Skyliner guard Jason Clark. Ratiopharm Ulm fled slowly out of the locker room to the bus and ex Radford(NCAA) standout Javonte Green was upbeat despite the loss and saw positives. “I thought we played well despite this being our third loss in a row. We played more together as a team tonight. We just didn´t put it together at the end. We had mental lapses on defense that cost us the game”, said Javonte Green.

Last season Miles Schmidt-Scheuber´s favorite post game Skyliner interview partner was Mr Canada Phil Scrubb and this season it appears to be Jason Clark who gives great game insight!

In 1990 basketball in the United States was still living its glory off the NBA Showtime of the 80´s where in Boston and Los Angeles the streets in some areas would be barren when Larry Bird and Magic Johnson faced off on the court, but in Germany basketball was just there and nothing else, a sport that was worlds behind the number one game soccer. Back then shortly before Michael Jordan would begin his quest for 6 NBA titles and become the greatest player of all-time, the ex North Carolina(NCAA) standout belonged to the best players in the NBA having scored 69 points in the NBA the season before and in the off season visited Germany doing promotion for Nike and landed in the Ballsporthalle now named the Fraport arena about 15 kilometers away from Frankfurt in the suburb of Hochst, but with that growing skyline always in eye sight. Back then the arena that was brand new and had been built in 1988 wasn´t even sold out something that would be unheard of today if a Lebron or even long retired Jordan came back in 2018. It was August 28th 1990 and only 4,000 fans were on hand to watch Air Jordan play with top German team Steiner Bayreuth against a team from the US Military.

The most known players from the German squad were 1993 European champions Michael Koch who would later coach in Germany with the Telekom Baskets Bonn and Kai Nurnberger who played with Frankfurt from 1999-2003. Jordan was supposed to play with each team, but in the end played the whole game with the German club scoring 25 points and leaving fans with a memory that they would forever have bolted in their minds even if he seemingly fled after the game quicker than any fan could blink an eye or a Usain Bolt could run backwards down the track abstaining from signing autographs. Having had superstar Michael Jordan play a game in the now called Fraport arena is without a doubt the greatest basketball player that ever graced the floor. Granted over the years the Fraport arena has seen many great players like Dejan Bodiroga, Luis Scola, Marcin Gortat or a Jose Calderon to name just a few from Europe and even American players like Dorell Wright, Darius Miller or a Casey Jacobsen to name just a few. Well known coaches have also come and gone in the arena like a Svetislav Pesic with FC Bayern Munich, Ettore Messina with Kinder Bologna, Dusan Ivkovic with CSKA Moscow, Sergio Scariolo with Unicaja Malaga over the years so the arena has seen a lot, but nothing as great since Michael Jordan. That changes October 3rd as legendary head coach Larry Brown who is 78 years old will arrive with a lot less fan fair than a Jordan, but with the most utmost respect from all who know and understand basketball. “It is great for European basketball that he will be in the mix here. It just shows how much he loves coaching and how dedicated he is to still be coaching at that age. He has won so many titles. Most coaches wouldn´t come back to coach at that age”, stressed Fraport Skyliner Erik Murphy.

Not only has Fraport Skyliners head coach Gordon Herbert trusted in Canadians in the last five years like an alert mother eagle on it´s young, but he also has relied on those Canadian sharp shooters to help assist the offense really take off in every game. It all started in the 2013-2014 season when ex NBA player Andrew Rautins was hauled in and his bombs away attitude and consistency with his shooting not only fascinated fans, but also helped the club win games on a regular basis. It was only too bad that injuries cut his season short a few days after Christmas. In two of the last four years, Herbert did it again trusting immensely in real Canadian sniper attacking in reeling in Philip Scrubb who for many critics is considered the best Canadian college player of all-time. In two seasons, the Carleton legend was a very vital role player helping the 2000 BBL cup winner win their third club title with the Fiba Europe Cup in 2016 and last season was an instrumental part of the team being successful and taking the future 2018 BBL champion FC Bayern Munich to an exciting and hard fought five game series before running out of gas. His beautiful shooting touch, almost perfect step back mid distance jumper and his unbelievable feel of where the rim is with his shot is something that will always be remembered as he attempts the next step in his career with Zenit of Russia. Herbert´s keen success rate of bringing in feared shooting snipers has continued this season as he has reeled in ex Baylor standout Brady Heslip who owns the G-League record with most three´s dropped in a game with 13. One has already seen the precise accuracy of the talented Canadian in pre-season as he dropped three after three at the Gezeiten Cup. He is an interesting player that has those chiseled good features coupled with a deadly shot that will give all fans something to swoon about at games. In a way the Herbert trust in real Canadian snipers is like the famous saying in God We Trust that every American has read on the one dollar Bill and wondered what does it mean? This phrase was scrawled on the famous Mayflower Compact as the first European settlers arrived in the new world which is now the United States. Back then the saying was supposed to reassure people that they had to trust in God as they would need his trust when they encountered many of the problems like malnutrition. Critics on the other hand have opposed this saying that this saying is an insult to the roots of the country. The reason is the people born and raised in the States never had to face that kind of turmoil and want the words done away with. All in all, it is never negative to have faith in God, at least those that believe in it or to believe in the success rate of very very good shooters that Herbert has. If the basketball God will always be on the side of the Fraport Skyliners is more than unlikely, but the Fraport Skyliners could use that term simply because they will trust in real Canadian shooting fire power again for success.

Post game interview with Fraport Skyliner Brady Heslip who dropped 18 points in the 99-36 win against the Dragons Rhondorf at the 2018 Gezeiten Cup

Recently a special old friend of the Fraport Skyliners was training at the BCM facilities and it didn´t take long for the secret to be reveled as it was ex Seton Hall(NCAA) standout Jordan Theodore who has had a whirlwind of a summer as months ago it was leaked he would go to Turkey, but then in September he was officially still part of the Milano team, but having the desire to play elsewhere as he and Milan weren´t the best fit, but they weren´t letting him out of his contract just yet. It would have been the announcement of the year and the best news since their 2016 Fiba Europe Cup title had they been able to sign Jordan Theodore, but the money demands must have been so high that Skyliner head coach Gordon Herbert most likely didn´t want to think about it, because so severe head aches would have needed extra extra strong pain relieving pills to digest the sum. For the Fraport Skyliners the pre-season has been less of a whirlwind, because for the first time in many years the club had picked up all their pieces early something that hadn´t been the norm as guys like Jordan Theodore and Andrew Rautins had been picked up very late in recent years. The Fraport Skyliners also didn´t have the most optimal pre-season conditions as numerous players were away for a time playing with their national teams for World Cup qualifying, but as always the club made the best out of the conditions. Less than a week before the begin of the 2018-2019 season, the Fraport Skyliners had their last test of the pre-season inviting their BBL neighbors Telekom Baskets Bonn over into their living room for a friendly battle and the full packed BCM crowd wasn´t disappointed as it was a dog fight in the second half which Frankfurt grinded out for the 76-73 win. The first half was a tale of two stories as the Fraport Skyliners dominated the first quarter while the Telekom Baskets Bonn fought back in the second quarter to get back into the game while the second half remained as tight as a full blown up NFL football as Bonn had the last two shots to send the game into OT, but were denied. After the last second win ex NBA player Erik Murphy reflected on the win and the pre-season. “We started slow the last games and this time wanted to come out with more energy. We played well on defense and executed on offense. They are a good team and we knew that it would be a battle. Our fast start helped us. We had foul trouble, but we locked in at the end and got the win. We are still learning how to deal with end of game situations, but we showed good things tonight”, stressed Fraport Skyliner forward Erik Murphy. The Telekom Baskets Bonn played a solid game that had it´s highs and lows, but just were unable to execute properly in the last two minutes. “The first 5-6 minutes of the game put us in a big hole. We showed resilience fighting back, but it´s hard to win in the BBL when your down by 15 points. Important was that we were able to stick together”, stressed ex Giessen 46er TJ DiLeo.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Josh Mayo of the Telekom Baskets Bonn in the BCM training facility of the Fraport Skyliners in Frankfurt

The one thing that every basketball team dreads is playing the first game on the final day during a tournament because that means they are playing for nothing, but pride as the two final teams can relax a bit more and rest their muscles while the two losing semi-finalists have to forgo a hearty lunch and play in the early afternoon. The Fraport Skyliners had a short recovery period after their disappointing 85-79 loss to s.Oliver Wurzburg as they had less than 24 hours to return to the court with a clash with Pro B team Dragons Rhondorf. It was obvious that Frankfurt was still very early in the pre season as they had some fine moments against Wurzburg, but that that feared defensive ensemble that head coach Gordon Herbert builds each season was still far away, but that is expected at this point of the pre season as the one on one defense and communication was a major work in progress. Their offense showed massive potential and Erik Murphy was a major bright spot that showed right away that he could do a lot more than shoot the ball and that his rebounding was efficient. So for the Fraport Skyliners meeting the weaker Dragons Rhondorf came just right for their team to continue to work on their offense, get some new added self confidence and also to work further on their shaky defense. For the Dragons Rhondorf meeting another easyCredit BBL team was another huge test that they most likely wouldn´t win, but just getting the experience to match against an ex NBA player, battle BBL legend Quantez Robertson and all the other talented players was like a gift where the young Germans and talented imports Raekwon Miller and Joe Mvoezolo could work on their game and match up against the best. Even if the Dragons Rhondorf made it a game for a quarter, they were unable to keep that consistent level as a nasty 24-0 run in the second quarter erupted the Fraport Skyliners in winning an immense lopsided game 99-36. After the big win head coach Gordon Herbert didn´t look happy or content, but the way he does after every game in that he knows that there is always room for improvement even after a 63 point drubbing of a Pro A team. “Our intensity was better on the defensive end and our team play was a lot better. It is hard for guys to find a rhythm when you play 12 guys so today we first played 10 guys and put in Vargas and Freudenberg in the second half. They gave us a lot of energy in the third quarter”, stated head coach Gordon Herbert. For the Dragons Rhondorf it was a worse performance than against Bonn where they lost by 42 points, but the club sees it as a learning experience and nothing else. “I thought we did many of the small things well, but we still have a lot of work to do. Important now is that we stay positive”, stressed Dragons Rhondorf head coach Thomas Adelt.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and ex NBA player Erik Murphy at the 2018 Gezeiten Cup

The Dragons Rhondorf came out focused while the Fraport Skyliners may still have had their pre game video session in their minds which Gordon Herbert had implied after the loss to Wurzburg and weren´t as focused on the court while the Pro B team rushed out to a 7-4 lead surprising the guests. Rhondorf spread the ball around getting baskets from Joe Mvuezolo, Alex Moeller and a trey from husky forward Yannick Kneesch, but the Frankfurt side didn´t let this minor shock effect their game as they got calm and started to move their offense which led to sound execution with a 20 footer from ex Chicago Bull Erik Murphy, a trey by ex Baylor(NCAA) sniper Brady Heslip and a lay in by Canadian rookie Trae Bell-Haynes as Frankfurt led 12-7 as their 8-0 run was only a preview of what would later happen.